Mr Adams told the West Belfast Festival: "The British never fed us. They never had any food.

"But as intrepid republicans and being blessed by one or two great cooks these are the recipes that sustained the Irish negotiating team.

"It contains some of the best-kept secrets of the Irish peace process."

The book will be his 17th published work, with his former books taking a more historical or autobiographical focus.

Mr Adams has been a key figure in Sinn Fein since 1978 when he became the party's vice president. Margaret Thatcher imposed a ban on his voice in broadcasts in 1988, out of fear of giving "terrorists the oxygen of publicity".